Month: October 2018

Figure 1: circular date stamp
The black ink manuscript, Receiving Office cancellation, Little Nymboida, 20 Aug 13, over stamped with a Coramba, N.S.W. 20 August 1913 date stamp, tying a 1d red Kangaroo to piece (see Figure 1), is the only postal marking from this small office in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales, recorded by Hopson & Tobin [1]. I am not aware of any other recorded examples.Little Nymboida Receiving Office
Little Nymboida opened as a Receiving Office on 1 November 1910, operated by Adolph Pauls, a German immigrant and farmer, whose property was located approximately 8 miles from the turnoff at the 8 Mile Peg on the existing Coramba to Brooklana mail route, at a location then known as Eastern Dorrigo [2]. Pauls was also contracted to convey and deliver settler mail exchanged at the 8 Mile Peg twice weekly. Representations by the Mole Creek Progress Association for establishment of a mail service, described the locality as being in the area of the Mole Creek and Little Nymboida River end of Eastern Dorrigo and inhabited by 40 settlers. The location is identified on the period map extract (see Figure 2) [3].Figure 2: Little Nymboida
Interestingly, Hopson & Tobin recorded a Receiving Office at Mole Creek, 25kms from Coramba, opening on 1 January 1898 and closing on 25 April 1900. There is no reference to this past Office in correspondence contained on the Little Nymboida Post Office file. However, co-incidentally, Hopson & Tobin record Little Nymboida as also being located 25kms from Coramba.
The Progress Association’s desired alternate designation for the proposed receiving office, in the event that ‘Little Nymbodia’ might have been considered unsuitable, possibly clashing with the existing ‘Nymbodia’ Post Office, was ‘Leonora’. Nymbodia was of course Nymboida. As I have pointed out in previous articles, local discrepancies in the spelling of place names was not unusual for the period. The Office name was derived from that of the nearby Little Nymboida River.Manuscript Cancellation
The manuscript cancellation is clearly in the hand of Adolph Pauls, as depicted in the example of correspondence contained on the Official Post Office File (see Figure 3). Of note, in this document is Pauls’ spelling of the proposed office name, ‘Little Nymbodia’, the spelling also used by the Progress Association in correspondence directed to the Postmaster Coramba.
In respect to the over stamping of the manuscript cancellation it is relative to note that instructions issued to Pauls by the Postmaster General’s Department on his appointment as Receiving Office Keeper included, “The Postage Stamps on the correspondence forwarded in the bags you send should be obliterated by the Postmaster at Coramba”.Figure 3: Robinson’s four mile map of N.S.W
Little Nymboida was designated a Telephone Office on 4 May 1926 and a Non-Official Post Office in 1927. On 15 July 1931, the Post Office closed and it was again designated a Telephone Office operated by Adolph’s son, Ernest Henry Pauls. The Office temporarily closed for a short period in July 1936, before again reopening in August of that year. It finally closed on 31 August 1950.
Adolph Pauls passed away in 1934 and is buried at the Coffs Harbour Historic Cemetery alongside his wife Elizabeth [4].References
[1] Hopson, N. C and Tobin, R S.W. and A.C.T. post, receiving, telegraph & telephone offices : their circular date-stamps and postal history. N. Hopson & R. Robin, [Sydney], 1991.
[2] National Archives of Australia: SP 32/1 LITTLE NYMBOIDA.
[3] E.C. Robinson Ltd Robinson’s four mile map of N.S.W. Published by H.E.C. Robinson Ltd, Sydney, 1913.
[4] Australian Cemetery Index 1805 – 2007 – Compiler: Coffs Harbour District Family Historical Society; Collection Title: Coffs Harbour & District Deaths, Burials, Cremations – 1866 to 2003.Acknowledgement
This article was written by Mr Tony Curtis. Tony is a resident of Murrumbateman. He is a member of the Philatelic Society of New South Wales, The Australian States Study Circle Royal Sydney Philatelic Club, the Australian Philatelic Society and the Philatelic Society of Canberra Inc. He is also a member of the Canberra & District Historical Society Society and the Yass & District Historical Society. Tony is a retired former Commissioned Officer with the Australian Federal Police, inaugural Chief Executive of the A.C.T. Gambling & Racing Commission and Chief Executive and Executive Director of ACTTAB Ltd. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2003 Australia Day Honours for outstanding service and in 2001 he received an Australian Group Citation for Bravery in his role as Australian Police Contingent Commander at the UNAMET Mission in East Timor in 1999.
Tony blogs at http://actpostmarks.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/home.html.